The War of Mithraleeth
The War of Mithraleeth was a war fought between the Great Loch Clans of Mithraleeth and the Mithraleenean Empire. It was fought in the years 148FE to 152FE. Despite only lasting four years, it was one of the bloodiest wars in the history of Mithraleeth. It saw one of the earliest foriegn, direct involvements of the Mithraleenean Empire in the affairs of other nations and saw the collapse of the Great Loch Clans of Mithraleeth, with their lands being annexed into the Mithraleenean Empire. Cause For a long time, the Mithraleenean Empire had had much interest in Mithraleeth. It was rich in minerals and other resources and it had a central location. It was also home to a collection of clans with no political unity. However, the empire was pushed into war quickly when Clan Tiberius, an ally of the Mithraleenean Empire, was attacked by Clan Vettach. Clan Vettach was, at this time, in an alliance with Clan Frod. Frod had provided the clan with chariots to support their advance. It had also supplied Clan Vettach with many resources to fund their invasion. The Mithraleenean Empire declared war on Clan Frod in 147FE. After many battles, the capital of Clan Frod eventually fell. The other clans viewed this as an advance into their territory and united against the Mithraleenean Empire. Another reason for the invasion of Mithraleeth was that the empire was currently involved in a costly war with the rebels of Carthia. Many citizens of the empire sympathised with the plight of the rebels and some ever actively assisted the rebels during the war by providing funds, equipment and even themselves for use as soldiers. Those that did not support the rebels feared that the war would result in failure for the empire and the emperor was rapidly becoming unpopular within his lands, in the eyes of his commoners and his nobles and generals. The emperor was persuaded by General Varelian Cato, one of his most loyal and respected commanders, to invade Mithraleeth that, in its politically volatile and unstable state, would be easily conquered by the legions. Beginning (148FE - 149FE) The war is officially said to have started at the Battle of Khâzâk Pass, where a small group of clansmen from Clan Mordach attacked an imperial fort in the Khâzât Mountains. Some historian put the starting date of the war to be the Fall of Frod. Others say that it began when the Mithraleenean Empire declared war on Clan Frod. Another possible start date is when Clan Tiberius was attacked by Clan Vettach The next skirmish was the Battle of Vettach Forest. The Second Legion was marching through the forest on its way to Timorium, to assist the Tiberius clansmen in their defence of the town. Soldiers from Clan Vettach engaged them. Despite a victory, the Second Legion suffered many losses. The general leading the invasion was badly injured. He would later be released from service due to his injuries. The next major battle after that was the Siege of Timorium. At that point, it was the largest siege in history, as well as the shortest. It lasted less than a week but over fifty thousand soldiers were involved in the battle. It also saw the ael'nonùvah enter the war on the side of the empire. The Lyncanthropes of the Shrine joined the battle as a third side, attacking everyone. The siege was finally broken when the Vettachius of Clan Vettach was slain and his army was routed. Middle Years (149FE - 151FE) With their armies scattered, the other clans fell quickly and easily to the Second Legions. However, as the war progressed, the Second Legion didn't have enough numbers to sustain the advance into enemy territory, having lost many soldiers in the earlier battles. It also haemorraged soldiers to attrition, especially after the clansmen resorted to sorched earth tactics to slow down the empire's advance Soon, the empire was relying almost entirely on auxiliaries recruited from Clan Tiberius. The remaining clansmen had fled into the wilderness and preyed on the imperial supply lines. They rarely engaged the legion is open warfare, only doing so as a last resort. Despite early victories against the guerillas, the legion and its auxiliary legions were slowly worn down. These victories were won for the clansmen by valiant generals such as Járkanus, Auríc and Hérmiticau. The End (151FE - 152FE) The legion's luck finally changed over the course of a few months of brutal campaigning. In the closing weeks of 151FE, Járkanus and Auríc were slain, leaving only Hémiticau and his army to fight the legion. Eventually, after much planning, the Second Legion's general managed to lure the guerillas out of hiding. In the Battle of the Mord Valley, the guerillas were engaged by the full might of the imperial forces in Mithraleeth. Using a cohort of legionaries to bait the guerillas out of hiding, the legion set a trap for the enemy. When the clansmen appeared and engaged the cohort, the horsemen of the legion attacked the clansmen from the rear, trapping them. The Second Legion and the X Tiberius Auxilia arrived after the horsemen and slaughtered the clansmen, who were now boxed in. Despite frantic and fierce resistance, especially from Hérmiticau and his bodyguard, barely any clansmen escaped from the battle. Those that were lucky enough to escape, were later captured or forced into exile. Hérmiticau was executed and his head was used as a trophy by the leader of Clan Tiberius, against the wishes of the legion's general, who wanted Hérmiticau to be given a warriors' burial. The last battle was fought outside Mordach, when the last remnants of the guerillas were destroyed by the XI Tiberius Auxilia. The war was declared to be over after this point. Effects The result of the war was a victory for the Mithraleenean Empire and its allies. It saw the annexation of Mithraleeth into the empire and the formation of the first auxilia legions. These outcomes allowed the Mithraleenean Empire to gain a foothold in central Eusiac and provided them with an excellent position to advance from. With Mithraleeth under imperial control, the empire was able to advance north, east and west and conquer much land. It also opened a new recruitment pool. It saw the destruction of the Great Loch Clans of Mithraleeth as their lands were absorbed into the Mithraleenean Empire. The imperial victory also unified Mithraleeth and gave it stability and, although it would witness some rebellions, the province became one of the empire's most loyal counties. Famous Battles and Events *''Battle of Khâzâk Pass'' - A small group of clansmen from Clan Mordach assaulted Fort Khâzâk. The Mithraleenean Empire was victorious. *''Battle of Vettach Forest'' - A large force of soldiers from Clan Vettach attacked the Second Legion when heading to Timorium. The Mithraleenean Empire was victorious. *''Battle of Fort Tellectum'' - An army from Clan Vettach engaged a cohort of Tiberius clansmen at the fort. The Mithraleenean Empire was victorious. *''Siege of Timorium ''- An army from all of the clans assaulted the soldiers of the Second Legion and the clansmen of Clan Tiberius. The ael'nonùvah later arrived. The Vettachius was slain at this battle. The Mithraleenean Empire was victorious. *''Battle of Briggaich Pass'' - A cohort of legionaries were ambushed in Briggaich Pass by a group of clansmen. The clansmen were victorious. *''Battle of Techaich'' - A large group of guerrilas were attacked by the Second Legion at Techaich. The Mithraleenean Empire was victorious. *''Siege of Eriden'' - Clansmen besieged the town of Eriden. After a week of surrounding the town, the clansmen broke the walls and plundered the city. The clansmen were victorious. Category:Events Category:Wars Category:History